The Book That Brought Us Together
by Halo31
Summary: Tsushima Yoshiko/Yohane has certified Sakurauchi Riko has her Elite Little Demon Lili but one day Yoshiko finds one of Riko's yuri books and an accident soon leads both to discover they want to be more than just friends.


Author's Notes

This is my first ever Fan Fiction and feedback would be appreciated. I apologize for any spelling or grammar errors. Cross Posted on Archive of my Own

* * *

Aqours just finished practice and are about to leave Plaza Verde

"Hey, You-chan, do you want a ride with me and Riko-chan?"

"You don't mind?"

"What about you Kanan-chan?"

"No thank you, I'll be riding with Mari"

"What about you Yoshiko-chan?" Chika asks

"The fallen angel Yohane needs no car, my base lies nearby"

"Okay then"

Everyone says their goodbyes and start leaving. After everyone has left Yoshiko starts walking home but then she realizes her phone is missing and turns back around to their practice space to find her phone.

"Ah there it is"

Just as Yoshiko is about to leave, she notices something. Yoshiko walks over to pick it up.

"What's this? A book?"

Yoshiko takes a quick flip through the book

"Eh? What's this? Hmmm looks like some sort of romance book"

Yoshiko pauses for a second, trying to think who would have this book.

Yoshiko decides to ask in their group chat who's it was. Yoshiko reaches for her phone, but it does not turn on.

"Eh? Why didn't it turn on? Is it out of power? Guess I will ask later than"

Yoshiko puts her phone away and heads home.

_**Later that evening**_

Yoshiko just finished up her stream and is putting everything away. Just as she is about to head to bed, she accidentally knocks over her bag. She put everything back where they should be, but just as she is finished, she sees the book she picked up from their practice area.

"Hmm, I wonder if this book is any good?"

Yoshiko picks up the book and jumps onto her bed looking skimming through the book. Just then she remembers she never asked whose book it was. She turns on her phone and begins typing.

_**Meanwhile in Riko's Room**_

"Where is it?!"

Riko had realized while looking through her bag and realized she is missing her book.

"Huh I'm sure I had my book with me when I left practice"

She searches around the room for the book but is not able to find it. Riko, unfortunately, does not remember what the book was called as she had just purchased it a few days ago.

"I hope I didn't leave it at school… OH NO! Wait… no, I had it when I left school, I remember checking that I had it when we were leaving school"

Just then she hears a ding from her phone. She walks over to her desk where her phone is to check.

Riko heard a notification from her phone but ignored it, since she decided that finding the book was more important. She didn't want someone finding out what she likes to read.

_**Aqours Group Chat**_

_Yohane: Hey the fallen angel Yohane has found a book in our practice space, was wondering who it was?_

_Mikan1: not mine_

_Yousor0: might be hanamarus_

_KurosawaDia: Ruby and Hanamaru are watching anime in the room next door I will ask_

_KananHug: a picture of the cover might help_

_Ganbaruby: Hanamaru says she didn't bring a book_

_Yohane has sent a picture_

_ShinyMari: Oh, the cover looks lovely_

_KananHug: Isn't that a romance novel, sure it is not hanamarus?_

_Ganbaruby: Hanamaru said she does not own that book_

_Mikan1: so, who is it then?_

_Yousor0: could it be someone else at plaza verde_

_Yohane: I found it in our practice room_

_KurosawaDia: no one else was using the room today besides us anyways right Mari?_

_ShinyMari: yeah don't think anyone else was using it after us_

_Yousor0: hey riko-chan do you have any idea?_

A few moments pass without a response…

_KurosawaDia: riko?_

_KananHug: rikoooo?_

_KurosawaDia: hey chika mind checking up on riko_

_Mikan1: give me a sec_

_Back in Riko's Room_

Riko is still searching for her book and is starting to panic a bit. She is going downstairs to see if she left it there.

"Hey Riko-chan" Chika yelled from the porch in her house but to no avail. Riko didn't hear Chika and continues downstairs.

_Aqours Group Chat_

_Mikan1: riko isn't responding she might be busy doing something_

_Yohane: so what do I do with the book then_

_KurosawaDia: just hang on to it for now_

_Yousor0: gotta finish homework see you guys_

_Mikan1: bye_

_Yousor0: don't you have to homework too chika_

_Mikan1: oh right I forgot_

_KurosawaDia: go do it_

_Mikan1: okay fine_

_**Back at Riko's house**_

Riko goes back to her room frustrated about not being able to find her book and decides to search her bag one more time. Just then Riko sees a bunch of notifications from the aqours group chat. She scrolls through what they had been talking about.

"Ehhhhhhh?! I…. left…. it…."

Riko stands there in shock. She is too embarrassed to admit to aqours that it is hers, so she simply claims she does not know and lies face down on her bed.

She thinks to herself, "What's worse is then Yoshiko having it? Chika having it? Yeah probably never hear the end of it from her". Riko chuckles for a moment.

"What am I going to do?" She pauses for a moment, thinking of what to do next. She decides to go to Yoshiko's place to pick up the book tomorrow since she is going to the bookstore in Numazu tomorrow anyways and hope she doesn't ask too many questions.

_**Back at Yoshiko's Room**_

"So, no one else knows either" Yoshiko sighs as she places the book down

"Hmmm, I wonder if this is any good?"

Yoshiko begins to flip through the book completely unaware of what this book is. Yoshiko begins to be a bit ingrained in the book and before she knows it, its 1 am. She decides to call it a day and puts the book down and go to sleep.

_**The Next Day**_

Riko arrives at Yoshiko's apartment and rings the doorbell.

Yoshiko is in the middle of reading the book she found yesterday, and she puts her bookmark in place and goes to open the door.

"Lili? What are you doing here?"

"How cold Yoshiko-chan, I can't visit a friend?"

"It's Yohane!" Yoshiko yells

"Well Yohane can't deny here little demons' entry, you may enter"

Yoshiko gestures for Riko to enter. Riko takes off her shoes while Yoshiko goes to find a pair of slippers for her. Riko puts on slippers and wanders around in Yoshiko's living room but just then she spots her book.

"Oh, there is my book" Riko whispers

She leans over and spots a bookmark. She pauses and again whispers "Don't tell me she actually read it; she doesn't look like someone who would read this"

"Did you say something, Lili?"

"Oh, uh no, is this the book you found in our practice room?"

"Yeah I got curious and decided to take a peek in the book"

"Oh, uh do… do you like it?"

"I think it's pretty good especially this part" Yoshiko flips through the book explaining what the book is about, Riko hadn't read the book yet and was astonished of how invested Yoshiko was in the book.

"Lili, are you hungry? I can go get some snacks"

"Sure Yohane-chan"

"It's Yoshi…." Yoshiko pauses for a second "Yohane will go get you snacks my little demon Lili"

Riko sits on the couch waiting for Yoshiko and picks up the book and flips through the book. Riko had intended to sneak the book out as she left but since Yoshiko had already started reading it, she couldn't do that.

"Hmm she does owe me for looking after that puppy" Riko decided to tell Yoshiko the truth and decide to ask her to keep it a secret.

Just then Yoshiko enters the living room with some snacks and some juice and places them on the table. Riko then stands up and starts speaking.

"Listen Yoshiko-chan, I need to tell you something about the book…"

Yoshiko makes a puzzled look and stands there waiting for her to say something

Riko moves closer to Yoshiko-chan and says, "The book is actually mi…."

Just as she is about to finish, she trips over the carpet and accidentally knocks down Yoshiko in the process

"Woah!" They both screamed as they both fall

"Mmmm…. Huh?"

Both Riko and Yoshiko open their eyes at the same time only to see their lips are touching. Both Riko and Yoshiko sit there for a second in shock, they're kissing. Riko just realizing what she did stands up and apologizes.

"I'm sorry"

Riko then runs takes off the slippers and slips on her shoes and runs out the front door.

Meanwhile, Yoshiko just sat there still in shock and said a single word

"Lili…"

_**Monday before school**_

The weekend was over, and Yoshiko had not heard from Riko, Riko had chosen not to tell Chika since she was too embarrassed to tell her. Yoshiko had finished the book yesterday but couldn't stop thinking about Riko after what happened the day before yesterday. Yoshiko was on the bus headed to Uranohoshi Girls' High School with You who took the same bus as her.

"You okay Yoshiko?" You asked

"I'm okay You-chan" At least that's what she said. She was not okay, she couldn't stop thinking about Riko, so much so that she had unknowingly ceased her Yohane personality altogether. You had noticed this though and was persistent.

"I'm your friend you can tell anything"

Yoshiko eventually gives in and tells her what happened between her and Riko

"I see" You gives a slight chuckle and smug look

"Hey!"

_**Meanwhile outside Riko's and Chika's home**_

"Riko-chan are you sure okay?" Chika had noticed Riko seemed different today.

"I'm okay Chika, trust me"

Riko had only told Chika she went to Numazu to get more books; Chika, unfortunately, had to stay and help at her family inn so she couldn't go with Riko which was lucky for Riko. Chika had noticed she sounded different since she got back, and she has started to become worried about her best friend and kept pestering Riko.

"Riko-chan come on you can tell me"

"Ugh fine I'll tell you but don't tell anyone else"

"Okay!"

_**Later that day at school**_

"You-chan guess what?"

"What is it Chika-chan"

"Something happened between Riko-chan and Yoshiko-chan!"

"Did Yoshiko-chan tell you too?"

"No?" Chika makes a puzzled look "Riko-chan told me... wait did Yoshiko told you what happened?

"Yeah she told me while we were on the bus"

"Do you think we should help them You-chan?"

"Maybe we should wait, they might talk it out later before practice"

"Yeah I guess so"

_**During Practice **_

Riko and Yoshiko have stayed quiet throughout practice and had mostly avoided contact with each other which worried the rest of Aqours

"Okay, let's take a break then go through the routine one more time"

"Ahhhhh" Chika lied on the floor trying to catch her breath, while You went to get bottled water for everyone

"I'm so tired, zura~~"

Kanan was puzzled at Riko's and Yoshiko's timing, they had practiced this the other day and they were fine but today was different

"Riko your timing is off; you need to be in sync with everyone"

"Sorry" Riko apologized

"Yoshiko you... wait where is Yoshiko?"

Kanan looked around the rooftop for Yoshiko but didn't see her.

"Yoshiko-chan hasn't had a Yohane fit all day, zura~~"

"Doesn't seem normal to me" Ruby Claimed

"Maybe she can control it now?"

"In the span of one day, I don't think so Kanan"

Mari noticed something about Riko that seemed off, like the tone of her voice was different than normal.

"Riko you okay, you don't sound like your okay"

"I'm okay, I'm going to go splash some water on my face" Riko made up an excuse to leave the rooftop for a bit. Mari became more suspicious of her and knew something was wrong.

"Something is up, I know it, I am going to find out what" Mari claimed, Mari was going to go follow Riko when Dia grabbed her arm

"Can you be sure of that?"

"I'm sure of it!" Mari exclaimed

"Hey Chika, do you know something? You've been more quiet than usual; she is your neighbor after all and you are closer to her than any of us" Ruby asked

"Oh well Riko is" Just as she is about to get to the reason, You stop her and covers Chika's mouth and tells them "It's nothing" then she whispers to Chika, "I thought we agreed to not tell anyone yet".

The third years look at Chika and You with a very serious look waiting for them to tell them what happened. Ruby and Hanamaru piqued their interest too and eventually, the two of them give in.

Chika and You give in and tell everyone what happened between Yoshiko and Riko.

"So, there you have it, that's as much as we were told"

There was a moment of silence as everyone tried to process what Chika and You said

Kanan was the first to break the silence "I see so that's what happened"

Dia follows up after "I can see why they were acting so strange now"

"But it was an accident right zura~~"

"That may be right, but it doesn't make it any less awkward for them"

"We should get back to practice, we can talk about this later"

Riko and Yoshiko return after a while and Aqours finishes up practice.

_**Later that evening**_

After some discussion with Ruby, Hanamaru and the third years they agree that Chika and Kanan would consult Riko while Ruby, Hanamaru, and You would do the same with Yoshiko. Mari, unfortunately, paperwork that was neglected and Dia had stayed back to help her.

"Chika… I thought I told you not to tell anyone"

"You-chan tried to stop her but I was persistent" Kanan tried to avoid letting Riko know that everyone else heard what happened

"At least it is Kanan-chan…"

"How are you holding up Riko-chan?"

"Okay I guess but every time I see or think about Yoshiko-chan, I feel strange…"

"But it was an accident, I'm sure if you just apologized, she would forgive you"

"It's not that simple Chika"

Chika tries to comfort Riko but Riko continues to not be cooperative.

"Riko-chan don't cry"

"But…. but…. but…."

A light bulb pops up in Kanan's head and she asks Riko

"Riko-chan, you wouldn't happen to have a crush on Yoshiko?"

"Eh…. Ehhhhh?! Wha…. What do you mean?"

"The book was yours wasn't it?" Riko just sits there not responding.

"I bet you've developed a crush on Yoshiko after what happened with that puppy you found and Yoshiko had you take care of, and you only realized it after you accidentally kissed Yoshiko-chan"

Riko starts turning red and continues to sit there, pondering Kanan's Words

_**Meanwhile…**_

Ruby, Hanamaru and You are with Yoshiko consulting her.

"Is this what you were reading Yoshiko-chan?"

"Yes Zuramaru"

Ruby, Hanamaru and You all took a quick glance at the book. Hanamaru took a bit longer since she had read a lot of books and was curious about what got Yoshiko invested in it

"This doesn't look like your normal romance novel"

"Cause it's not You-chan"

"It's a yuri romance novel, zura~~"

"Yeah it is"

"I don't think I anyone in Aqours would read this type of stuff"

"Yoshiko-chan, could it be you have a crush on Riko-chan?"

"That is jumping the gun a bit, Ruby"

Yoshiko had turned red and Hanamaru had noticed this.

"I think Ruby-chan might be right though, Yoshiko-chan seems embarrassed, also after what happened with that puppy, I am not surprised"

She said "It's Yohane…" in a much quieter tone than usual

"We all noticed right You-chan?"

"Yes, we all did, you and Riko got closer after that didn't you, you even called her Lili"

"Ummm...Yeah I guess we did" Yoshiko pauses for a moment

"It will be easier if you just tell her how you feel, zura~~"

"You two need to at least talk it out"

"Yeah I guess... thank you for talking to me"

_**Meanwhile back at Chika's home**_

"Look, I know it sounds nerve-racking to approach her after what happened, but you need to face her"

"I'll try, thanks Kanan-chan, Chika-chan…"

_**Later that night**_

The Aqours members excluding Riko and Yoshiko are on a video call talking about how things went. Chika and Kanan went first and talked about Riko, then You, Ruby, and Zuramaru talked about Yoshiko.

"I guess we all had a similar idea in the end"

"I hope it works out, zura~~"

"I'm sure they will do there Rubesty"

"Who would have thought that book was Riko's, wonder why she didn't tell us" Chika questioned

"I'm not surprised, it's not something that many people read, and quite embarrassing to reveal too" Kanan claimed

"I hope everything goes well"

"I'm sure it will Ruby, besides they have all of us"

The 7 girls continue to chat, and eventually, the conversation diverges from Riko and Yoshiko to other topics.

"We should stop here for today; we have school tomorrow"

"Good Night everyone!"

_**Meanwhile at Riko's house**_

"Riko are you still up? You have school tomorrow"

"Yeah… I know mom…"

"Is something wrong dear?"

"Nothing, I'm okay"

Riko's mom sits down beside her

"Honey I know something is wrong, I'm your mother after all"

Riko sighs and tells her Mom what has been on her mind

"I see so that's what's been bothering you"

"yeah…"

"Look, accidents happen but sometimes the best things come from accidents"

"Really?"

"Me and your dad didn't intend on having you when we did"

"Seriously?"

"Yep, we weren't sure if we would be good parents yet but look at how that's turned out. We have a lovely daughter who has amazing friends"

"Mom..." Riko blushes a little

"I'm sure your friend will understand, remember I'm always here to support you and you have your friends too"

"Thanks, Mom"

Riko then gives her Mom a hug

**The next day at school**

Riko decided to finally talk to Yoshiko and Yoshiko did the same, they were going to each other's classrooms when...

"Huh? Yoshiko-chan?

"Lili?"

"What are you doing here Yoshiko-chan?"

"Looking for you..." Yoshiko starts to turn red, the same happens to Riko

"I was looking for you too"

"Listen about what happened..."

"I'm sorry!" They both claimed simultaneously

"Huh? Yoshiko what are you apologizing for? It was my fault I tripped"

"No, it was my fault for not catching you"

"But I took your first kiss away..."

"It's okay no need to worry, it's not like I didn't like it anyway..."

"Huh? You liked it?" Riko starts turning bright red and looks away embarrassed. There is a pause then they both decide they will say it

"Yeah… I… Di….d" Yoshiko said nervously

"Please go out with me Yohane-chan" Riko said nervously

"Eh?!" Yoshiko takes a moment to make sure this was real, she had planned to ask her out first.

"I would love too" Yoshiko smiled brightly

"Can... Can I kiss you?" Riko asked nervously

"Yes, you can Lili" Riko lifts Yoshiko's chin and they share a kiss, their first kiss as a couple.

They break up their kiss briefly and Yoshiko takes this moment to tell Riko something.

"I was planning on confessing you know" Yoshiko whispered

"Well looks like I beat you to it"

"To make up for it you better kiss me again Lili"

"Okay then Yohane-chan"

They both continue kissing for a while, but it is soon interrupted by a loud thump. Yoshiko and Riko break up the kiss and turn to see what that sound was.

"Ow"

"Chika be qui…"

Both Riko and Yoshiko are in a state of shock and ask, "What are you guys doing?!"

"Hehehe, well we wanted to see what was going to happen"

"Mari, I told you this wasn't a good idea"

"We were curious, zura~~"

"Congratulations to both of you!" Ruby was the first to congratulate them and soon the rest of Aqours followed up.

"Congratulations!"

_**About a week later**_

"Yocchan, here" Riko gives Yoshiko-chan a bottle of cold water

"Thanks, Lili"

"They are so cute together, zura~~"

"It's almost as if they were meant to be together, eh? Dia"

"Yeah Mari, and to think this all occurred because of a book"

Yoshiko had returned the book she found to Riko but Riko had told Yoshiko that if she wished she could borrow more if she chose. Riko even gave Yoshiko her own nickname, since she thought it wasn't fair that she didn't have one for her. Yoshiko wasn't much of a reader, but she did take the occasional manga. Both Riko's Mom and Yoshiko's Mom supported their relationship, eventually, the other girls at school found out too and they were the hot topic at school for a few days. Online forums had even started rumors that 2 members of Aqours were dating, everyone got a good laugh as their fans tried to figure out who was dating who. But to Yoshiko and Riko they didn't care, all they needed was each other.

"They look so cute together don't they You-chan?"

"Yeah they do Chika-chan" as You gives Chika a big smile

You ponders for a second "I wonder if I can find the same with love with Chika-chan…"


End file.
